FOREST-FIRE SEASON BEGINS . . . FEDERATION HOSTS AGRICULTURE DEBATE . . . DEBRIS BEING CLEANED UP AT AQUACULTURE SITE . . . BEES “GET A BUZZ” FROM PESTICIDES . . . BELARUS-MADE TRACTORS ARE BACK  . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

FOREST-FIRE SEASON BEGINS
Source: NBDNR
Forest-fire season in New Brunswick is now underway and ends Saturday, Oct. 31.
The 24-hour toll-free Burning Permit information line for Category 1 fires will operate throughout the forest-fire season. To find out whether burning is permitted at a particular place and time, except within cities and towns, residents should call 1-866-458-8080. For information about campfires and brushfires within cities and towns, residents should contact their local municipality for any restrictions that may apply. The Department of Natural Resources encourages mulching, composting or hauling debris to a local landfill as alternate methods of disposal. A burning permit from the department is required for any fire larger than a Category 1. (read more)

FEDERATION HOSTS AGRICULTURE DEBATE
Source: Island Farmer
The P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture will be hosting an Election 2015 Agriculture Forum on April 28 from 7pm – 9pm at the Murchison Centre in Charlottetown. The Murchison Centre is on 17 St. Pius X Avenue in Sherwood behind the Irving on St. Peter’s Road and across from St. Puis X Catholic Church. (read more)

DEBRIS BEING CLEANED UP AT AQUACULTURE SITE
Source: NS Dept of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Provincial fisheries inspectors visited the site of an aquaculture operation on Long Island, Digby Co., Wednesday, April 22, to investigate reports of scattered debris. Loose buoys, rope, and other fish-pen debris were observed on and near the site. Fisheries inspectors confirmed the operator has begun cleaning up the debris. “Our inspectors have been to the site and, as the operator proceeds with its cleanup, we will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that it is done in a timely manner,” said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell. (read more)

BEES “GET A BUZZ” FROM PESTICIDES
Source: BBC
Bees prefer food containing neonicotinoid pesticides, research suggests. They may “get a buzz” from the nicotine-like chemicals in the same way smokers crave cigarettes, according to scientists at Newcastle University. The experiments raise the question of whether bees can be exposed to harmful doses of pesticides because they are attracted to the chemicals. Another study found neonicotinoids had a negative effect on bees in the wild. The Crop Protection Association, which represents pesticide producers, questioned the findings of the studies, published in the journal, “Nature.” (read more)

BELARUS-MADE TRACTORS ARE BACK
Source: Ontario Farmer
MTZ Equipment Ltd has announced that Belarus based MTZ – world’s largest tractor exporter – is back in the U.S.A. and Canada with more than 50 dealers across Canada and the U.S. Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), based in Belarus, remains the world’s largest tractor exporter. With over 1.2 billion US$ in annual sales, the plant is producing more than 60,000 tractors annually, exporting to more than 100 countries worldwide. Since 1968 more than 50,000 Belarus tractors were sold in the Canada and the U.S. Dealers and farmers who worked with Belarus made tractors in the past will testify about the legendary reliability of the tractor’s power train. (read more)